MOSCOW, January 23. The meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President's special envoy Steve Witkoff and businessman Jared Kushner was "extremely substantive, constructive, frank, and based on trust," Kremlin advisor Yuri Ushakov told reporters. The talks, focused on the Ukrainian issue, lasted approximately four hours. The parties agreed that the first meeting of the Russia-U.S.-Ukraine working group on security issues would take place on January 23 in Abu Dhabi. They also discussed the Gaza peace initiative, the issue of Greenland, and bilateral relations, and agreed to maintain close contact regarding Ukraine and other issues.

Meeting Participants

On the Russian side, the meeting was attended by Ushakov and Presidential Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Josh Gruenbaum, a senior advisor to the White House, participated in Putin's talks with U.S. envoys for the first time. Previously, he had participated in consultations between Russia and the United States at a lower level in Miami, Florida. The negotiators had a pleasant conversation before Putin's arrival, according to a TASS correspondent. Photos taken before the meeting show Witkoff, Kushner, and Gruenbaum in conversation with Ushakov, Dmitriev, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Putin received his guests in a ceremonial office in the Senate Palace of the Moscow Kremlin. According to the Russian presidential advisor, the meeting was extremely substantive and constructive. "I would describe it as absolutely frank and based on trust," he added. Ushakov noted that the meeting was beneficial for both sides in all respects. "The meeting that just concluded in the Kremlin was useful in all respects, both for us and for the United States. The participants agreed that Russia and the United States will maintain close contact regarding Ukraine and other issues," he said. The Kremlin advisor noted that Putin's meeting with U.S. envoys was intended, in particular, to outline further steps at the bilateral level.

On the Ukrainian Crisis Settlement

The U.S. negotiators informed Putin about the results of consultations on Ukraine that took place on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, including U.S. President Donald Trump's meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In addition, "they assessed the consultations held in December and January, including the meeting in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, and in a number of European capitals." "The most important thing is that during the president's talks with the Americans, it was reiterated that a long-term solution cannot be expected unless the territorial issue is resolved based on a formula agreed upon in Anchorage," the Kremlin advisor noted.

Ushakov emphasized that Moscow has a genuine interest "in resolving the Ukrainian crisis through political and diplomatic means." "Until then, Russia will continue to consistently work to achieve the goals of its special military operation on the battlefield, where the strategic initiative is held by the Russian armed forces," he said.

On the Abu Dhabi Meeting

The parties agreed that the first meeting of the Russia-U.S.-Ukraine working group on security issues would take place in Abu Dhabi on January 23. The Russian delegation will be led by Igor Kostyukov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. The Russian team will travel to the UAE "in the coming hours." According to Ushakov, the team includes "members of the leadership of the Ministry of Defense." Putin has already provided the Russian delegation with "specific instructions based on the details of today's discussion."

Ushakov noted that "the Americans have done a lot to prepare for the meeting [in Abu Dhabi] and hope that it will be successful and open up prospects for progress on a wide range of issues related to ending the conflict and reaching a peaceful settlement agreement." In addition to the trilateral meeting, Abu Dhabi will also host a Russia-US working group on economic issues, to be chaired by Dmitriev and Witkoff.

On the Council for Peace, Greenland, and Relations with the US

Putin and the US envoys also discussed the Council for Peace initiative and "a number of regional issues," including the situation surrounding Greenland. The bilateral group on economic issues will continue to discuss the idea of using $1 billion from Russian assets frozen by the previous US administration as a contribution to the Council for Peace, Ushakov said.

According to him, issues related to the further development of Russian-American relations were discussed "on the basis that our countries have great potential for cooperation in various areas." Ushakov added that "representatives of the United States are already preparing certain plans that could be implemented after the Ukrainian conflict is resolved." Putin's meeting with US envoys. This was Putin's seventh in-person meeting with Witkoff. They had previously met on December 2, 2025, when their talks, which also included Kushner, lasted for five hours. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Putin highly values Trump's and his team's peace efforts.

TASS/gnews.cz-jav